borrowed more from the 1940 film Horror Island. Reception From contemporary reviews, a review in Film Daily declared the film as "excellent" with "an all-around fine cast [...] Rupert Julian's direction is intelligent and effective." Exhibitor's Forum found that the film was a "mystery thriller expertly produced with an excellent cast" specifically noting Twelvetrees and Raymond Hackett. Picture Play Magazine also liked the film, calling it "well done." Variety found the film to production values to be "first rate and the punch thrills neatly timed and built" while finding that "the creepy thrill value is still there, but in the translation from silent to sound it has been badly slowed up." A reviewer in The Bioscope found the film to be a "lured enough melodrama" and that "it is rather clap-trap stuff, [...] but it nevertheless achieves its object." as well as praising the acting of Helen Twelvretress, Raymond Hackett, Neil Hamilton and Blanche Frederici. Harrison's Reports declared the film to be "a weird mystery drama, filled with thrills and with considerable comedy. It is well act and well presented and it keeps one in suspense to the very end" Silver Screen lamented that the original The Cat and the Canary film was "a much better mystery-thriller" and the "good cast is wasted" concluding the film to be "a very sad affair." See also List of lost films List of incomplete or partially lost films References Footnotes Sources External links 1930 films American black-and-white films Remakes of American films American films based on plays American mystery films Films directed by Rupert Julian Films set in country houses Lost American films American multilingual films Sound film remakes of silent films Universal Pictures films 1930 lost films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films 1930 mystery films